By Anderson Ojwang
The wounded and wobbling faction of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Linda Ground, has morphed into Linda Chama and has been sent into a panic and crying mode.
While the other faction, Linda Mwananchi, is becoming a movement by day and continues to hold its rallies, at Linda Ground it is gnashing of teeth and premium tears.
It is no longer Linda Ground to Linda Chama; the chickens are finally coming home to roost.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has been vindicated, and his warning to the ODM leadership that President William Ruto was fattening them for the butcher’s knife has come to pass.
Gachagua, who has become a subject of campaign for his alleged tribal antics and a tool to whip emotions against those associating with him, is today watching how the once largest party in the country is fast collapsing.
Gachagua had warned the ODM leadership of Dr Oburu Oginga, National Chairperson Gladys Wanga and Director of Elections Junet Mohammed of Ruto’s scheme to destroy the party.
“I have often told ODM leadership that they should not allow William Ruto to destroy ODM. You shouted me down and asked that I keep off. I have seen Gladys Wanga is now crying. Junet Mohammed is also crying. All of Raila’s leaders are crying. I warned you that Kasongo will destroy ODM, but you didn’t listen to me,” he said.
Gachagua claimed President Ruto was plotting with Cabinet Secretaries Hassan Joho and Wycliff Oparanya to weaken ODM in Coast and Western Kenya through new political parties affiliated to the two leaders.
“William Ruto has planned to have a new party in Mombasa, and he will give it to Joho to destroy ODM at the Coast. Oparanya will soon resign from the government, and there is already a political party for him to use in Western Kenya in the 2027 general elections,” he said.
Oparanya has stated that he is ready to quit ODM for the sake of Luhya unity, and in a recent radio interview he said he will soon declare his political position and next move.
“I want to say in front of you. If the problem is having different parties, I am ready to leave ODM even now. Let us come together because I know that we are a sleeping giant in this country,” Oparanya stated.
Gachagua said Ruto was also interested in ensuring that his allies were elected as MPs in Nyanza on a UDA ticket.
“Kasongo wants ODM to be a Luo party, and also among the Luo he has planned to have his people elected. He is using Internal Security Permanent Secretary Dr Raymond Omollo to plant candidates in the region to compete with Raila’s people. He wants Raila’s people to lose in Nyanza and have his people in the region,” he said.
Gachagua said ODM was likely to perform poorly in the 2027 general election and could only garner a maximum of 20 MPs.
“For ODM, if God allows, you will have 20 MPs. In Nairobi you have lost by design. I don’t want to get into ODM issues, but I want Raila’s legacy of ODM to remain as the biggest party. The only way to survive is to zone your strongholds before you get into any alliance with Ruto,” he said.
Gachagua claimed Ruto plotted to destroy ODM immediately after elections and that is why he supported Raila’s candidature for the AU chair.
“When he plotted to destroy ODM, I was with him as his deputy. The day he had a handshake with Raila, I asked why he brought him into the fold. He told me, ‘I want to bring him close and take him to the AU so that he can deal with ODM once and for all.’ He is now destroying ODM,” he said.
And now Wanga has come out strongly to protect ODM from infiltration, saying they were ready to walk out of any negotiations.
“Ka ngato omulo chama wa. Kata in ema omiyo wa mo moleny (If someone tries to destroy our party. Even if he is the one who gives us ghee). Waweyo ne mo no (We will leave that ghee),” she said.
Wanga said it was time to protect the party from intrusion and to prevent the party from losing its parliamentary strength in the next election.
“Nyaka warit chama (We must protect the party). Ok inyal bedo e mesa ka in gi MPs 20 onge ngame dbi winji (You cannot go to the negotiation when you only have 20 MPs because you will have no bargaining power),” she said.
Wanga said Raila was able to negotiate on the strength of the MPs and expressed concern that the party may lose that strength in 2027 if they do not win most of the seats.
Junet warned their partners in the broad-based government against infiltration in their stronghold and threatened to walk out.
“I want to tell our UDA partners that we want power. If we can’t get it here, we will look elsewhere,” he said.
Junet claimed that state machinery was being used to pressure ODM legislators – particularly from the Coast and Western regions – to defect to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
He said the move was aimed at weakening ODM’s national influence and reducing it to a regional outfit.
Wanga opened the taps of tears as they freely flowed over what she termed as betrayal and lack of respect for ODM.
Visibly emotional and drained, Wanga used a handkerchief in her hand to wipe the tears as the public watched in disbelief and sympathized at the same time.
Wanga declared that ODM was the only inheritance left behind by the founder, the late Raila Odinga, and will defend it at all cost.
“This our party is what our party leader, the late Raila, left us. It is all we have. We will defend and protect our party. Defending our party comes number one before anything else. So we will defend our party, our people, and we will defend our areas. We will make sure that our parliamentary strength is not reduced by even an inch. Ok wane mumbo wala ei ot (We are not scared of darkness). No. It is our party. Weche modong wabiro wacho mbele ka wasebedo kod heshima e party ka (We will only discuss other business when respect exists),” she said.
